Children of Mars: The Origins of Rome's Empire

In "Children of Mars," Jeremy Armstrong delves into the early period of Roman imperialism, examining how Rome expanded its influence in Italy through conflict and the formation of social, political, and military networks among Italian peoples. This critical reexamination challenges the traditional narrative, presenting a more nuanced view of the early Roman army as familial and fluid, and suggesting that the emergence of Rome’s empire was fundamentally relational. While acknowledging the violence of this expansion, the book redefines the dynamics of early Roman imperialism, reshaping our understanding of Rome's Republican history.